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A Royal Prisoner
A Royal Prisoner

Chapter XXX

Cover illustration for A Royal Prisoner
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.
This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.
It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.
And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.
The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Royal Prisoner

Chapter XXX

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.
Line 2
This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.
Line 3
It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.
Line 4
And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.
Line 5
The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.”

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.”

Continued noun US /ˈcontinued/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.”

Disappointment noun US /ˈdisappointment/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.”

Explosion noun US /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/

a sudden violent burst of sound or force

From this reading “And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.”

All words in this reading · 73

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

account

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

announced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

atmosphere

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

become

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

Bois

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

Boulogne

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

clear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

club

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

cold

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

continuednounUS /ˈcontinued/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

date

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

de

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

decided

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

disappointmentnounUS /ˈdisappointment/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

explosionnounUS /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/

a sudden violent burst of sound or force

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

fete

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

finally

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

followed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

frequently

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

further

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

ice

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

invariably

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

invitation

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

January

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

joke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

lake

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

mud

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

nearly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

now

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

organized

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

Parisians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

particular

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

period

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

postponed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

promised

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

receive

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

severe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The clear atmosphere and severe cold promised no further disappointment.

SHADOWED

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

skating

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

Sud-Nord

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

thaw

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

tunnel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.

turning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

unusual

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

upper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

water

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

weather

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This fete had been already frequently postponed on account of the weather.

week

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SHADOWED An unusual cold had continued for nearly a week, and the ice fete organized by the skating club upon the upper lake in the Bois de Boulogne had been announced for this particular day.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading It had become a joke among Parisians to receive an invitation for a date which was invariably followed by a period of thaw, turning the lake into ice water and mud.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And now the afternoon of this January day, which began with the explosion in the Sud-Nord tunnel, had been finally decided upon.